Affirmation: “I let myself play in an unbounded world of creation
on the glorious written page whenever I desire.”
The therapeutic effects of creating stories are known in many cultures. Throughout history, stories have inspired us. We keep coming back to them, from The Odyssey by Homer and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, to Mark Twain’s satire and Toni Morrison’s novels.
Stories allow us to be transported. Simply reading a story we resonate with will ignite our imaginations. Yes, the literary masters do it for sure, but so do lesser-known novelists and authors every day. Maybe you could too. Many of us harbor a secret dream of writing a book. Why not try it?
In 2003, I was that person who dreamt of writing a book. It took years, and I started several other books that I never finished. I wasn’t an English major or journalist. I was a teacher and medical intuitive with an active imagination. But the practice of writing was addictive. Creating can be infinitely joyful. I want you to feel that joy if it is something that you crave. As Napoleon Bonaparte said, “Imagination governs the world.” So I let my imagination be my guide. You can too.
Exercise: Write a Short Story
Writing a short story can be amazingly cathartic. It can be totally out of left field and have nothing to do with you, yet it can open things in your mind and heart that heal you and can make greater space for joy to bloom in your heart. Plus, it’s fun. Follow this map.
Start with three characters. Are they human? They don’t have to be. Jot the following down in your journal: their species, names, genders, and top two personality quirks. Just let this flow organically. Write down whatever comes to you and don’t overthink it.
Next, decide the one event that the story will center around. Here are some ideas: a wedding, a funeral, a holiday, a breakup, a war, a dine and dash, a chance meeting, a hot summer day, a blizzard, the writing of a hit song, the opening of a shopping mall, conserving a coral reef, first alien contact on Earth, a bar fight, finding a new dinosaur species—you get the idea. Be as out there or ordinary as you want, and make a quick choice. This is just for fun. No pressure.
Start picturing your characters in the situation. How would they feel? How are they each different? Write or type a few pages. Let it flow, and if it doesn’t, just keep going. “Jim and Jane walked into the new shopping mall and looked around.” You can just write without being self-conscious because nobody will see this.
When you are done, read it over. How can you make it more wacky, more emotional, more intense? Add some more to it if you’d like, or let it be. A story is a quick, creative jaunt to rev up your imagination and entice your mind. Now you can reenter your life with a sense of mental revitalization.
Imagination is the dynamic catalyst for every breakthrough. #joyfulliving101